To
much
of
America,
Rudy
Giuliani
is
a
genuine
hero,
but
not
to
his
ex-wife
or
their
children.
So
which
images
will
have
more
power?
America’s
Mayor
or
Broadway
Rudy?
The
Faithful
Leader
or
The
Unfaithful
Husband?
The
Able
Manager
or
The
Absent
Dad?

Many
contradictions
are
clouding
Giuliani’s
quest
for
the
Republican
nomination.
This
is
a
man
of
enormous
strengths
and
serious
flaws,
a
modern-day
version
of
an
ancient
Greek
hero,
thunderous
in
battle
and
yet
plagued
by
an
Achilles
ego.

The
smart
political
money
still
believes
that
Giuliani’s
negatives
will
outweigh
his
positives,
that
the
flaws
will
prove
fatal
before
he
reaches
the
Oval
Office.
But
firm
predictions
are
foolish
and
outside
events
could
clear
his
path.

Rudy
faces
a
weak
field,
and
his
Republican
rivals
could
knock
each
other
off,
much
the
way
Dick
Gephardt
and
Howard
Dean
did
in
2004,
opening
the
Democratic
nomination
for
John
Kerry.
Another
terrorist
attack
could
forcefully
remind
voters
of
Rudy’s
shining
hour,
his
courageous
response
to
Sept.
11.

And
in
truth,
Giuliani
possesses
the
one
quality
that
Americans
always
look
for
in
a
president,
executive
experience,
the
habit
of
command.
Lawmakers
never
run
anything,
which
is
why
they
generally
make
terrible
candidates.
They
are
also
based
in
Washington,
another
huge
handicap.
Rudy’s
home
river
is
the
Hudson,
not
the
Potomac.

Mayor
of
New
York
is
a
huge
job,
and
even
Giuliani’s
critics
agree
he
was
good
at
it
–
cutting
down
crime,
cleaning
up
streets,
improving
the
quality
of
life.
You
have
to
like
a
guy
who
puts
a
sign
on
his
desk
saying
“I’m
responsible,”
two
little
words
that
are
hardly
ever
uttered
in
Washington.

Moreover,
there’s
a
rebellion
in
Republican
ranks
against
the
power
of
the
Religious
Right.
Almost
half
of
all
GOP
moderates
told
pollsters
last
fall
that
evangelicals
had
“gone
too
far”
in
imposing
their
religious
values,
so
the
time
might
be
right
for
a
more
flexible
figure
who
supports
abortion
and
gay
rights.

When
Time
asked
Republicans
to
pick
a
candidate,
Giuliani
led
the
field,
with
John
McCain
14
points
behind.
When
Newsweek
pitted
just
the
two
leaders
against
each
other,
Rudy
won
easily,
59
to
34.

But
those
numbers
don’t
tell
the
whole
story.
In
Newsweek’s
survey,
only
1-in-3
Republicans
knew
of
Giuliani’s
pro-choice
position
on
abortion.
Once
informed
of
those
views,
40
percent
said
they’d
be
less
likely
to
support
him,
while
half
of
all
“social
conservatives”
reacted
negatively.

..

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